<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

My original question to the list, prompted by my coworker, was, "Is Omission beer truly gluten free?" Thank you to all who responded!

Some list mates offered some resources that explained why experts feel that they can't conclusively endorse it as safe.

Jennifer Iscol researched and wrote an excellent article on this topic: http://www.celiaccommunity.org/confusion-over-omission/

Tricia Thompson also wrote a great article on the topic in her recent blog: https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/blog.php?id=8

Oregon Live article: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/06/pressing_the_case_of_omission.html

What did the list say about their personal experiences? Some of you reported mild to more severe reaction and some of you reported no reaction at all. I suspect this might have something to do with whether you have celiac or are gluten sensitive/intolerant. Some of us have more "feedback" physically when we have gluten than others, so it's possible that damage can be done even if we don't feel it. Here are list mates input:

Tom: I have been drinking omission for 2 years without any effect on my celiac problem.

Denise: Only proof is it starts with gluten ingredients--nothing changes that. I personally tried it & got deathly ill with celiac symptoms. Is true some react & and some do not - I'm not willing to go thru it again, and hope others don't have too. Just several Glutenings a year increases your chances for cancer 7 times ---- and I have had cancer twice now in 5 years. There are plenty of other real gluten free beer substitutes available these days. Plus a boat load of other alcohol adventures to try.

Steve: Here's what it comes down to:  There is very good reason to believe that the standard testing methods for detecting gluten in foods does not work well for fermented or hydrolyzed products.  The gluten protein may be broken down into parts that the test does not recognize, but those smaller bits might still cause a celiac or gluten intolerant person to react.   So it may test below 20ppm, but that probably means very little regarding safety for Celiacs.  The new FDA labeling law takes this into account and says that fermented and hydrolyzed products made with gluten containing grains cannot be labeled gluten free. Before I understood that, I did drink Omission and Estrella Dam Daura several times and usuallly had mild reactions within 6-12 hours, so I had already started to avoid them.  After learning more about it, I have decided to not drink these beers.  They are good compared to most sourgum beers, but not that great, and certainly not worth the risk.  Cider, wine, and liquor provide plenty of other options that are better anyway.

Lynda: ...more recently there was a conference a month ago in Chicago which I attended-15th International Symposium on Celiac Disease which is a medical/research based event (rather than the gf expos and different conferences that celiac organizations put on).  This symposium is held every 2 years around the world and every leading doctor (plus more) you have heard in terms of celiac research in North America and in Europe was in attendance and presented information. Needless to say, they do not recommend consuming the Omission beer or any other beer that breaks down the gluten molecule  with an enzyme as currently there is no research done on how consuming those particles affects those diagnosed with CD (where their body is subject to damage).  Right now the current testing for gluten does not test for this molecule breakdown either so testing will show it as safe to consume (such as the Elisa sandwich assay test). As you indicated, everyone has to make their own decision, and as I have been gf almost my whole life, same as you, I have no desire to consume it!

Scott: File this one under anecdotal, as it's just my experience with Omission. I've tried both their IPA and their handcrafted varieties. I have had NO ill effects from drinking Omission. I have a mild gluten intolerance. If I ingest gluten, I get headaches, stomach and digestive troubles, general achiness, and rashes on the backs of my hands. None of this happens for me with Omission.

Bev: The problem with testing is that fermentation snips barley proteins into very short segments that can elude detection  especially since tests are were developed to find wheat proteins.  The fact that the  molecular makeup of barley proteins is slightly different from wheat also raises concerns.  While testing might not find these small bits, the body might b more sensitive.  Until technology of testing catches up, safety concerns come first.In the US, beers made with barley ( regardless of how they test) are regulated by the TTB, while those make without gluten-containing grains are under FDA jurisdiction.  I seem to recall reading that the TTB would not allow products with gluten grains to be labelled GF, regardless of ppm testing.

Kay: I got very sick just from a taste test of the beer.

Bev: I keep reading about this and my conclusion, from what I have read, is that the testing they are using is not a good one.  And I also read that they cannot sell this beer as GF outside of Oregon (or wherever it is made). So, I tell my group members to avoid it. Get Bud's Redbridge beer. That is definitely GF, and there are many others on the market that do NOT contain barley.

Dan: The best answer is maybe. It is actually an enzyme they use during the fermentation that breaks gluten down into smaller peptides. Gluten is a long chain protein, peptides are smaller pieces of that long chain. The enzyme breaks down the gluten protein into smaller chunks to the degree that the test will no longer detect it as gluten. It is of course theoretically possible to break gluten down to a level that is safe. Broken down to individual amino acids the most toxic proteins that exist would be absolutely safe. The big question is whether the enzyme breaking down the gluten protein chain to the point that the test doesn't detect it is the same thing as breaking it down to the point that a celiac's immune system will not respond to it. The answer to that is unproven one way or the other. Also of note, Omission can only be labeled gluten free in Oregon. The federal rule requires different labeling in interstate commerce.

Vic: It is the same question I asked of Trish Thompson, the gluten free dietician, for whom I have the greatest respect. I'll give you what I know: (1) Is Omission Beer gluten free? Depends upon what you mean by gluten free. (2) Does the Bureau of Alcohol, Tax, and Firearms think Omission meets the standards for gluten free labeling? Not yet. Here is a reference: https://www.facebook.com/GIGofECW/posts/583712488317938: "Omission Beer, Steven Taylor & Tricia Thompson - See their comments on this product...Trica wrote "Bottom Line: If Steve Taylor is concerned about this beer containing gluten then all individuals with celiac disease should be concerned about drinking this beer." I agree with Trica's comment about Steven Taylor PhD, Co-Director of the Food Allergen Research and Resource Program (FARRP). These guys are some of the best in the world when it comes to food allergens."
https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/blog.php?id=8  All of this is a bit confusing. Omission uses a particular enzyme (not a distillation) to cut the protein fragments. When the protein fragments are cut, the gluten identification test kit that looks for certain uncut protein fragments doesn't detect the cut protein fragments. A mass spectrometer can "see" the cut protein fragments. Something is still there. The cut protein fragments do not disappear from Omission beer. The question that remains unanswered at the moment is do these cut protein fragments in Omission Beer elicit a gluten response in people who react the the various traditional forms of "gluten." Now you can see why the answer to (1) is "Depends upon what you mean by gluten free.

Liz: I tried this beer and it's great, but I had some strange symptoms after drinking it (not GI), but it made me nervous and I stopped. Btw, I drank one a week or so.

LeeAnn:  That is true. Several of the gluten free beers use barley or wheat and remove the gluten later to the 20ppm standard for gluten free items. I have drank it and LOVE it! And have had no symptoms.

Suzanne: I have no real answers, but did want to chime in that my personal decision is to not drink Omission beer.  There are others to choose from -- maybe they are not as good, but they are OK, and actually not at all horrible.  I also enjoy wine, hard ciders and distilled alcoholic beverages.  But the Omission thing is very different and it is not really about "distillation."  My understanding is that the process they use (or say they use) purportedly "destroys"  the gluten protein.  With distillation, the whole protein is actually left behind in the evaporation (distillation) process, in its original state, and is not present any longer.  What Omission does is likely enzymatic or chemical in some way, which -- quite a few have said -- leaves behind traces, and bits and pieces of the gluten molecule.  And, as far as the testing goes, the type of gluten testing they do is not valid for barley -- at least according to some pretty good experts.  We actually do not know what it "is" about the gluten molecule that makes it intolerable -- and who knows if it might not be one of the pieces that is left behind?  We just DON'T KNOW. Quite a while ago, Kikkoman soy sauce tried to tell the GF community that its soy sauce was safe, largely for similar reasons -- their claim being that the gluten protein was dissolved (not removed) by their fermentation process.  They tried to get people to buy off on this for years.  I think it speaks volumes that they finally put a soy sauce on the market that is, in fact, GF to begin with, and uses a different process and set of ingredients than their conventional soy sauce. I'm no scientist.  But, honestly, with all the excellent alternatives for alcohol consumption, I have to ask myself:  why take the chance?  I work so hard at being GF otherwise, it seems a crazy thing to do.  But that's just me.

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